Brandon Pettigrew

Pettigrew caught just 10 passes for 70 yards in 14 games last season. Both totals represent the lowest of his career, as the Lions transformed his role into mainly a blocker in 2014. Even with the presence of fellow tight end Eric Ebron, Pettigrew should play a fair amount in 2015. While the Lions have indicated a desire to spread the ball around among all the tight ends in 2015, don’t expect Pettigrew to be anywhere near his days of catching 70 to 80 passes a few years ago. However, he could see a slight uptick in production.

Pettigrew's stats dropped sharply for the second year in a row, and his days of 100-plus targets appear long gone. The 6-7 Joseph Fauria, a 2013 undrafted rookie, became the favorite tight end in the red zone last season with six touchdowns (seven overall) on 14 red-zone targets (Pettigrew had half that). More importantly, the Lions selected athletic receiving tight end Eric Ebron with the 10th pick in the draft. Ebron likely will dominate the tight-end targets as he is expected to be used extensively in the downfield passing game. Pettigrew, who re-signed with a guaranteed $8 million this offseason, will still be used in two-TE sets but likely will be reduced to little more than a blocking tight end. The Lions also signed wide receiver Golden Tate to pair with Calvin Johnson, and with Kris Durham (85 targets) and Reggie Bush (80 targets) returning, Pettigrew's number doesn't figure to be called too often.

Pettigrew saw a drop in his stats across the board last season due to an ankle injury that cost him two games and the increased role of teammate Tony Scheffler. Pettigrew still received a healthy 102 attempts (7th), but running short patterns from the slot yielded merely 5.6 YPT and resulted in a modest output. Moreover, quarterback Matthew Stafford has plenty of goal-line options – Pettigrew had just nine targets from inside the 10-yard line the last two seasons while Calvin Johnson notched 18 and Scheffler had 10. Adding Reggie Bush this offseason gives the Lions yet another alternative who nearly doubled his targets from the year before to 85. Pettigrew should continue to benefit from a prolific passing game and see a healthy workload, but unless he catches more balls further down the field or in the red zone, he doesn't appear to have the upside associated with his first-round pedigree.

Pettigrew produced career highs across the board last season, but his output was fairly modest considering he was targeted 126 times, second among tight ends, by a quarterback who threw for more than 5,000 yards and 41 touchdowns. Pettigrew caught only 65.9 percent of his targets last season, leading to just 55 more receiving yards than in 2010. And while he doubled his red-zone looks to 22, he managed only one more score. Outside of a wide-open Week 17 in Green Bay, Pettigrew had difficulty making plays down field, recording only three catches for more than 20 yards. Moreover, he disappeared during the middle of the season with just 123 receiving yards in a five-game span (24.6 YPG). To reach the next level, Pettigrew must improve his route running and ability to separate from defenders. He could also use some help from the Lions running game. To compensate for an ineffective running game, the Lions at times spread Pettigrew out, throwing him short, ball-control hitches. In Week 3, he caught 11 passes on 13 targets, but only one was down the seam for a big gain. And Tony Scheffler is still around to poach opportunities (six touchdowns on 43 targets last season). The bright side is Pettigrew is in one of the league’s best passing offenses, which should continue to give him ample targets. It wouldn’t take much for him to see a major boost in fantasy production.

Even without Matthew Stafford for most of last year, Pettigrew turned in a respectable season and justified his selection as the first tight end off the board in the 2009 NFL Draft. Most important, Pettigrew showed no ill effects from the knee injury that cost him the last part of the 2009 season. Pettigrew had to battle Tony Scheffler early in the season for targets, but it didn't take him long to establish himself as the Lions’ top tight end, finishing with 111 targets, fourth among the position. He improved his route-running ability, and his size/speed combo proved to be difficult for opposing teams to defend. At 6-5, 265, Pettigrew needs softer hands, though. He led all tight ends with eight drops last season. His 6.5 YPT mark isn’t that special, either, but questionable quarterback play was largely to blame. Pettigrew has excellent upside as the second target to Calvin Johnson in the Lions offense. With a healthy Matthew Stafford back in the huddle, Pettigrew should improve on his 71 receptions, which ranked third among tight ends, and 722 yards, which ranked seventh.

The first tight end taken in the 2009 draft had his season cut short by a torn ACL in Week 12. Due to the severity and timing of the injury, it’s possible that he will not be ready for the start of the season. The Lions brought in Tony Scheffler as insurance should that situation arise, though they’ll both likely see plenty of downs. Pettigrew was on pace for a season of 45 catches, 500 yards and three touchdowns before the injury.

Pettigrew was the consensus top tight end in the 2009 draft, going to the Lions at the 20th overall pick. Immediately the Lions released incumbent Michael Gaines, making Pettigrew the starter for Week 1. Whether Daunte Culpepper or Matthew Stafford is the quarterback, opposing teams will double Calvin Johnson, giving Pettigrew room to operate. At 6-5, 265, Pettigrew has excellent size along with a fair speed/strength combo. He should make an immediate fantasy impact as a rookie, but is not a lock for top rookie tight end, given the team’s issues at quarterback.